title: Asymmetrical muscle hypertrophy simulating a localised soft tissue mass.
abstract: Three children with a soft tissue mass presented to the Department of Radiology for investigation. Two children had a mass in the right axilla and the third had a mass overlying the right scapula. Cross-sectional imaging in each case revealed muscle hypertrophy rather than a discrete mass. The radiological diagnosis was later confirmed by histology. Minor asymmetry of muscles is quite common as a normal finding, but gross asymmetry of normal muscle is rare. Localised hypertrophy of muscle may result from exercise in children, but a history of excessive gymnastic exercise was apparent in only one child. The cause of the hypertrophy in the other two children is unknown.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital, Alder Hey, England.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Almansoor
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Boothroyd
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Carty
mesh_terms: D001365:Axilla; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology*; D012540:Scapula; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*